Do, Re, Mi

She loved it, perhaps due to the green hills of Austria or the stern father who released the bitter hold on his hurting heart or maybe it was the melodies which united a scattering family and won the hearts of everyone. For likely many reasons, my mom's favorite movie was (and I think still is) "The Sound of Music."

Because of that passion for the Rogers and Hammerstein classic, I became audience to the 1965 film over and over again. Somehow Mom's adoration for the film poured over into my life and I still find myself humming the catchy songs I heard so often as a child. When I was younger I dreamed of being Leisl and being able to someday sing "I am sixteen going on seventeen, I know that I'm naive...." to my own Rolf. (I quickly realized musicals aren't the best examples to follow for real-life romances). Though my Rolf has yet to appear, I still find myself humming "My Favorite Things", "So Long, Farewell" and "Do, Re, Mi".

It's the latter song that caught me off guard the other day. Maria (the young woman taking a break from her life at the convent to serve as governess for the rambunctious Von Trapp children) commences the song naturally with "Let's start at the very beginning, A very good place to start..." Though simply put, this one line grated my ambitions this last week as I pondered the start of something new.

Though the beginning may be a natural place to start, it's definitely not the easiest. Probably wasting too many moments of thinking on such a simple aspect of life, I couldn't help but wonder why it's so hard to start something new. Even though I love running, the worst part of it is getting out of the house and going. I relish writing, but the task of penning the first lines of a story overwhelm me. I am fascinated by meeting new people, yet sometimes it's easier to sit back and not take the first step.

The thing life seems to be plainly teaching me these days is that once you start, it's really not so bad to keep going. Is it that once we start something we are closer to finishing it? Or that we are running towards a goal, while before we were only thinking about the goal? Or is it because we know that once we've started there is no turning back and we've convinced ourselves that the goal is worthy?

Regarding the goal, Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us in similar fashion to run towards it. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

All the things that make it hard for me to start something, all the distractions I hold within arm's reach need to be left behind. My old life will be left behind, my Austria abandoned as I run for the hills of Switzerland. :)

I'm starting once again at the beginning, a very good place to start.

And I'm running towards even a better place, with a better goal in mind.